Anyone had issues with a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 dropping connection to the VictronConnect app mid-season?

Picked up a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 back in March and it's been brilliant for the most part — running two 175W panels on a 12V 100Ah lithium setup in my van. Charging has been spot on and I've no complaints there. The issue is the Bluetooth connection to VictronConnect on my Android phone (Samsung S21, app version 6.00) keeps dropping out after about 30–40 seconds. It'll connect fine, I can see the live data, then it just disconnects. Sometimes it reconnects straight away, sometimes I have to go stand right next to the controller.

I'm about 1.5 metres away when I'm checking it, which shouldn't be an issue as far as I can tell. I've tried clearing the app cache, unpairing and re-pairing the device, and even did a factory reset on the controller — no change. The firmware on the MPPT is v3.14. Wondering if this is a known Bluetooth bug or if there's something specific to Android causing grief.

Has anyone else seen this, or found a fix that actually sticks? Tempted to grab a VE.Direct to USB cable and just use that instead, but I'd rather keep the wireless working if possible.

MistyRigger | 847 posts

@LiamFox I had almost the exact same thing happen with my 75/15 last summer. Worth checking a couple of things first — make sure your phone's Bluetooth isn't set to disconnect inactive devices (quite common on Android). Also, the SmartSolar's Bluetooth chip can occasionally go into a low-power sleep state, especially if the unit gets warm. A quick way to "wake" it is just walking close and opening VictronConnect — it usually reconnects within 30 seconds.

If it's dropping during an active session rather than just failing to reconnect after a gap, that points more toward interference or phone-side issues than the unit itself. What phone are you using? Some Samsung models have been particularly temperamental with Victron's Bluetooth in my experience.

CarolThomas79 | 134 posts

@LiamFox had this with my 100/20 on the tiny house build last autumn. Turned out my phone's Bluetooth was the culprit — Android has a habit of killing background BLE connections to save battery. Check your phone's battery optimisation settings and exclude the VictronConnect app specifically.

Also worth checking if there's a firmware update pending on the MPPT itself — I was on an older version and updating via the dongle sorted a lot of instability for me.

One other thing: are you near any other Bluetooth devices? I had interference from a Fogstar battery BMS sitting too close to the controller. Moved it a few inches and connections became much more stable. Bit of a faff to diagnose but worth ruling out before assuming the unit itself is faulty.

FrostySocket | 312 posts

Had this exact issue on my shepherd's hut install — 100/30 same as yours. Ended up being the Bluetooth range dropping when temps fluctuated, but the fix that actually sorted it was making sure the VictronConnect app was fully up to date and doing a fresh pair (forget device, re-pair from scratch).

Also worth checking you haven't got the unit tucked behind something metallic — I'd boxed mine in a bit too snugly and that was killing the signal.

If none of that works, Victron's firmware update via the app sometimes resets whatever's causing the drop. Mine's been rock solid since doing that back in May.

NicolaTaylor72 | 58 posts

Had this on my boat last season with a 75/15 — worth checking whether it's actually the MPPT dropping BT or your device's Bluetooth stack being the culprit. On Android especially, background app battery optimisation will kill the VictronConnect connection without warning.

Go into your phone settings and specifically exclude VictronConnect from battery optimisation — made a huge difference for me.

Also, is your firmware up to date? Victron pushed a few BT stability fixes in updates over the past year. Connect via USB if you can't maintain BT long enough to do it wirelessly. The VRM portal is also worth setting up if you haven't already — at least then you've got continuous logging even when the app drops out.

Ella1974 | 207 posts

@LiamFox I had something similar with mine over the summer — worth checking whether there's anything generating interference nearby. In my case a new inverter I'd installed was causing Bluetooth dropouts across several devices, not just the Victron. Moving the phone closer during connection attempts helped temporarily, but the real fix was repositioning the MPPT away from the inverter. Also make sure your firmware is current via VictronConnect when you do manage to connect — there were some stability improvements in a recent update that seemed to help with my unit. Might be worth posting your firmware version here so others can compare. Hopefully a simple fix for you! 🤞

HeathGazer | 847 posts

@LiamFox — welcome to the forum, good first post and a solid setup you've got there.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet: firmware. Open VictronConnect when you do have a stable connection and check whether the 100/30 is prompting an update. Older firmware versions had known Bluetooth stability issues, and a quick OTA update via the app often sorts it permanently.

Also worth noting — if you're in a van, phone Bluetooth can sometimes get confused by multiple nearby BT devices (dashcams, speakers, etc.). Forget the device in your phone settings entirely and re-pair fresh. Sounds obvious but it catches people out.

I've run a 100/30 on my narrowboat for two seasons now with zero dropout issues since keeping firmware current. Victron's update cadence is actually pretty decent.